Local 521 Nurses Give Birth to New Generation of Leaders

More than a quarter century after a handful of Bay Area-Los Angeles area nurses formed the SEIU Nurse Alliance of California -- laying the groundwork for the national Nurse Alliance that now numbers 85,000 RNs -- a new generation of nurse leaders has come together to carry on the movement.

A dozen nurses from SEIU Local 521 gathered for a Nurse Leadership Conference in Monterey on October 3-4 and formed the SEIU 521 Nurse Alliance of California (NAC). Coming soon: Little NAC's "birth announcement".

 
At the conference, participants learned:
Positive patient care and outcome correlate directly in workplaces with unionized nurses.
The Nurse Alliance's #1 goal is getting health care reform.
Nurses are the most respected profession and our voices count in the political arena.



Carrie Cianchetti observed that there are 30,000 RNs in the statewide NAC, of which she is Executive Director.
You belong to the fastest-growing, most powerful union in the country, said Cianchetti, referring to the Service Employees International Union's 2-million member strength.

SEIU's fundamental philosophy, Cianchetti told the group, is that nurses are leaders of a multidisciplinary health care team from those who work in housekeeping and transportation to respiratory therapists and radiologists, among others. And yes, doctors are part of the healthcare team, too!
It's a team, not an individual or classification, that delivers health care, said Cianchetti, and that is the hallmark of SEIU.

The next task for nurse leaders who participated in the conference is to return to their hospitals and community clinics and motivate colleagues to become more involved.  

Stay tuned!